Articles re the Oscar snub

[Shuggy]

saved from the IMDb BBM board before the Fockedinthehead wipes it.
The thread was started on March 7 by Steveme.



Annie Proulx, Manchester Guardian (March 11, 2006):
http://film.guardian.co.uk/oscars2006/story/0,,1727312,00.html

Domestic Commentary
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Kenneth Turin, LA Times, "Breaking no ground" (March 6, 2006):
http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/oscars/env-turan5mar05,0,5359042.story

Erik Lundegaard, MSNBC, "Oscar misfire: ‘Crash’ and burn" (March 6, 2006):
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11700333/

Awards Tracking Database, "A Smudge on Oscar History" (March 6, 2006):
http://www.awardstracking.com/

The Gold Derby, "And the Winner is . . . homophobia?" (March 6, 2006)
http://goldderby.latimes.com/

David Poland Blog on the subject, Hot Button (March 6, 2006)
http://www.thehotbutton.com/today/hot.button/2006_thb/060306_mon.html

The Brokeback Snub, Afterelton.com (March 7, 2006)
http://www.afterelton.com/movies/2006/3/snub.html

Jeffrey Wells, Hollywood Elsewhere, Different Enough?
http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/archives/2006/03/for_shame_i_wan.php

Gene Stone: Hollywood Hardly Hearts Homosexuals (March 7, 2006)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20060307/cm_huffpost/016886;_ylt=A86.I2ABuA1EszAAsAP9wxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--

Hollywood isn't being straight with gay community, Boston Globe (March 7, 2006)
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/03/07/hollywood_isnt_being_straight_with_gay_community/

Industry insiders comment on the result, NY Times, March 7, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/07/movies/redcarpet/07osca.html?hp&ex=114170760\%3Cbr%3E0&en=f9bcd4f56177090d&ei=5094&partner=homepage

San Francisco Chronicle, OSCAR ANALYSIS: Theories abound on why 'Crash' won best picture (March 7, 2006)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/03/07/OSCARS.TMP

Stephen King, Analyzing Oscar, Entertainment Weekly (March 9, 2006)
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,1170378_1_0_,00.html

Karel, The Advocate (national gay magazine), Homophobia? Hogwash! (March 9, 2006):
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid27765.asp

Dilshad D. Ali, islam online, The Crash that Stopped the Brokeback Train (March 9, 2006):
http://www.islamonline.org/English/ArtCulture/2006/03/article06.shtml

Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune columnist, The 'safe' choice was the right choice (March 10. 2006):
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.page10mar10,0,4878576.story?coll=bal-oped-headlines

Philadephia Central Daily, David Bleier, Did Homophobia Steal Brokeback Oscar (March 10, 2006):
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/opinion/14063562.htm

Chicago Tribune, Mark Caro blog, Wait, the Oscars really are about artistic purity? (March 10, 2006):
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_popmachine/2006/03/wait_the_oscars.html

MIchigan News.com, Gabriel Garnica, Brokeback Defeat Is Nothing To Get Dramatic About (March 10, 2006):
http://www.michnews.com/artman/publish/article_12057.shtml

James Rocchi, cinematical.com, The Rocchi Report: Crash Forensics (March 10. 2006):
http://www.cinematical.com/2006/03/10/the-rocchi-report-crash-forensics

St. Louis Post Dispatch, Joe Williams, After flirting with diversity, Oscar goes back to the closet, (March 10, 2006):
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/columnists.nsf/joewilliams/story/2A2C4370BC8233EC8625712D0054A524?OpenDocument

Neva Chonin, San Francisco Chronicle, I wish I could quit you (March 12, 2006):
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/12/PKGU9GIN8F1.DTL

Frank Gabrenya, Columbus Ohio Dispatch, No plot existed to deny Oscar to ‘Brokeback’ (March 12, 2006):
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/features-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/03/12/20060312-C3-00.html

Matt Brunson, Oscarwatch.com, Hit & Run - What's the Real Reason for Crash's Oscar Upset? (March 15, 2006):
http://www.oscarwatch.com

Agreeing with Annie Proulx's critique, Karen Hershenson, 'Brokeback' writer voices truth on Oscars' relevance, ContraCosta Times (March 17, 2006):
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/14121523.htm

The "qualmish" factor in Hollwood, Steve Penhollow, ‘Brokeback’ bore burden of unease, Fort Wayne (Indiana) Journal Gazette, (March 19, 2006):
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/entertainment/visual_arts/14134301.htm?source=rss&channel=journalgazette_visual_arts

Foreign commentary
--------------------------------
London Times, "Uneasy Hollywood chooses race relations over gay cowboy drama" (March 7, 2006)
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,19133-2072699,00.html

Leading Canadian critic, Toronto Star, Peter Howell, Hollywood Circles the (unBroke) wagons (March 10, 2006)
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1141944645359&call_pageid=976600361453&col=969048864482

Resume of reaction in the Chinese press (March 8, 2006):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388795/board/thread/37836777?d=37836777#37836777

From Singapore, Jeanmarie Tan, What Happened to my Brokeback (March 8, 2006):
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,4136,103125,00.html

From India, director critical of Oscar decision, Hindustan Times, A Mountain Moves (March 10, 2006):
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1646848,0035.htm

From Canada, John Moore, National Post, Brokeback breakdown (March 16, 2006):
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=0392501d-b8a4-4e53-b254-895d87d5e41e&k=45244

From Canada, Briad D. John, Macleans, The collateral damage of 'Crash' (April 3, 2006):
http://www.macleans.ca/culture/films/article.jsp?content=20060403_124404_124404


The Ebert Factor
------------------------
Ebert's defenses of "Best Picture" Crash:

Roger Ebert lashes out at critics of Crash and names names! (March 6, 2006)
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060306/OSCARS/603070301

Earlier this year he again defended the movie against critics (January 18, 2006):
http://www.laweekly.com/index.php?option=com_lawcontent&task=view&id=12416&Itemid=47

Ebert defends his position against critics: Michael Jensen, Thumbs Down: Roger Ebert Takes on the Brokeback Mountain Controversy, afterelton.com (March 16, 2006):
http://www.afterelton.com/movies/2006/3/ebert.html

Historial Perspective on Oscar mistakes
----------------------------------------
This is far from the first "Academy" blooper. London Telegraph (March 4, 2006):
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/03/04/bfoscars04.xml

Another Academy Blooper article: Stephen Farber, Ten films that give Oscar a bad name (March 19, 2006):
http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/cl-ca-bottom19mar19,0,4258543.story?coll=cl-music

And from earlier, bias and bigotry among Academy members:

Nikki Finke, LA Weekly, How Gay Will Oscar Go?" (February 1, 2006):
http://www.laweekly.com/deadline-hollywood/12564/how-gay-will-oscar-go/


For reference, here are the two original New York Times reviews of the films
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Original NY Times review of Crash (May 6, 2005)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/06/movies/x06cras.html?ex=1146888000&en=ab9c464bf3c29946&ei=5083&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes

Original NY Times review of Brokeback Mountain (December 9, 2005)
http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/12/09/movies/09brok.html?ex=1141880400&en=7757846e4a2865f9&ei=5070
 
 Re: List of Articles or Critics Objecting to Brokeback Snub   
  by - kevinmcg (Tue Mar 7 2006 08:39:32 )  Ignore this User | Report Abuse 
 
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Stephen King. Analyzing Oscar. Entertainment Weekly

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,1170378_1_0_,00.html


Gene Stone. Hollywood Hardly Hearts Homosexuals, Yahoo News.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20060307/cm_huffpost/016886;_ylt=A86.I2ABuA1EszAAsAP9wxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA-- 
 Three 6 Mafia- 1 Oscar. Martin Scorsese- none   
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More casual commentary, USA today "Intersection of events helped Crash"
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/movieawards/oscars/2006-03-06-crash-postmortem_x.htm

London Times, "Uneasy Hollywood chooses race relations over gay cowboy drama"
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/movieawards/oscars/2006-03-06-crash-postmortem_x.htm
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Front Page of today's San Francisco Chronicle: Theories Why This Happened.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/03/07/MNGM8HJTPO1.DTL 

Victims of the Academy's genius for getting it wrong
(Filed: 04/03/2006)

Marc Lee looks back on the Academy’s long history of bad decisions

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/03/04/bfoscars04.xml

Not specifically about BBM, but interesting on the number of classic films and performers who never won an oscar or indeed been nominated. A stellar cast indeed. 

One very famous culture critic put it this way

"Crash is like a loud argumentation, Broekback Mountain is like a beautiful poetry"

Seems Academy Awards members have no class.

At tomato meters

Brokeback got 177 posivite reviews, at a average 8.2 rating
(beside all the pressure BBM have from conservative society).

Crash got 133 posivite reviews, at a average 7.2 rating.



 
 Re: List of Articles or Critics Objecting to Brokeback Snub   
  by - kirkmusic (Fri Mar 10 2006 21:31:40 )  Ignore this User | Report Abuse 
 

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There's an even bigger discrepancy on metacritic.com. Somehow the imdb regulars liked Crash more. Go figure. I think some of it had to do with people giving BBM 1 star for its content. 
Here's another great article about the Academy's march towards irrelevance.

http://www.wesleyanargus.com/article.php?article_id=3077


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Another good story about Crash and why it did not deserve to win.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-me-lopez8mar08,1,1907743.column 
 Re: List of Articles or Critics Objecting to Brokeback Snub   
  by - stevme (Thu Mar 9 2006 12:38:43 )  Ignore this User | Report Abuse 
 

Did Homophobia Rob Brokeback Oscar?
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/opinion/14063562.htm

The second one is from St. Louis:

After Flirting with Diversity, Oscar Goes Back to the Closet
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/columnists.nsf/joewilliams/story/2A2C4370BC8233EC8625712D0054A524?OpenDocument 
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Here is another one that I found yesterday. I thought it was pretty interesting.

http://www.slanttruth.com/2006/03/07/burn-hollywood-burn/

It's nobody's business but ours. 

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The nature of the attacks on "Crash" by the supporters of "Brokeback Mountain" seem to proceed from the other position: "Brokeback" is better not only because of its artistry but because of its subject matter, and those who disagree hate homosexuals. Its supporters could vote for it in good conscience, vote for it and feel they had made a progressive move, vote for it and not feel that there was any stain on their liberal credentials for shunning what "Crash" had to offer.
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Roger Ebert said that (above) in his article.
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Here's another:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/12/PKGU9GIN8F1.DTL

I didn't see it in your list, but if it is, please disregard.


Here is another one from Peru (!). Someone at oscarwatch.com translated it from Spanish. It's more a review of Crash than the Oscar result but it's safe to say the reviewer strongly disagree with the result.

The Stupid Oscar Soup - Crash
http://www.oscarwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15576


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I don't believe the following is on your list:

http://www.afterelton.com/movies/2006/3/affair.html




Please add Matt Brunson's article to the domestic list.

Hit and Run: The Real Reason for Crash's Oscar Upset
http://www.oscarwatch.com

It's original from Creative Loafing magazine but I don't have the link to the original. It's the best one so far that sums up the reasons why homophobia was the mostly likely reason for Brokeback's loss.

 
Two more articles. Here is the first one:

'Brokeback' Bore Burden of Unease
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/entertainment/visual_arts/14134301.htm?source=rss&channel=journalgazette_visual_arts

Here is the second one:

'Brokeback' Writer Voices Truth on Oscars' Relevance
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/14121523.htm 
Steve, want to add this Canadian article to your post?

The Collateral Damage of 'Crash'

http://www.macleans.ca/culture/films/article.jsp?content=20060403_124404_124404 

[Lynne]

WOW!  This is terrific - Thank you!
-Lynne

[juneaux]

Great resource~ thanks.


J.

[Lynne]

From "Variety", bold type is mine.  We already knew this, but somehow reading it in print as marketing strategy upsets me all over again.   --Lynne

It was a night of Oscar upsets and sore losers.

Even discounting "Brokeback Mountain" author Annie Proulx's bitter editorial in The Guardian -- "Rumour has it that Lions Gate inundated the academy voters with DVD copies of 'Trash,' " she noted -- best picture winner "Crash" endured its fair share of incredulous critics along with its ample voter support.

Less polarized, however, is the perspective on Lionsgate's awards campaign for the film.

Three years after the John Fithian-led ban on awards screeners -- during which Lionsgate sent out discs while studios fretted about piracy concerns -- the indie outfit made the unprecedented decision to mail out nearly 100,000 DVD screeners to members of the huge Screen Actors Guild after "Crash" received three SAG noms.

The move is widely credited with not only propelling "Crash" to a SAG ensemble trophy, but giving the pic the boost it needed to win three Oscars.

"Lionsgate did a great job last year of being able to use the momentum and the support of the DVD release to get people to remember how good they thought the movie was," says Rob Moore, Paramount prexy of worldwide marketing, distribution and home entertainment, who hopes to leverage similar support for "World Trade Center" this year.

"We knew going into the awards season that every single person was going to outspend us," says Sarah Greenberg, Liongsgate theatrical marketing co-prexy. "Each year, we have to try and come up with the one thing that will set us apart from other studios, and last year we sent out the screeners, which caused a huge uproar in the biz. Nobody had done it before, and I believe we've set a precedent."

At least one veteran awards publicist agrees: "This year, I'm afraid SAG voters are going to expect to receive screeners for all the nominees."

For its part, Fox Searchlight has already released "Little Miss Sunshine" screeners to members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and the Academy, and is printing more discs for the 2,100-member SAG nominating committee and other awards groups.

If the pic earns SAG noms, Searchlight could very well repeat the "Crash" strategy of mailing to the entire guild.

"I don't know how you don't at least give it serious consideration," says Searchlight chief operating officer Nancy Utley. "We are mailing to the entire (11,000-member) Writers Guild, which we don't normally do."

Lionsgate theatrical films prexy Tom Ortenberg estimates the cost for the entire "Crash" screener mailing at $250,000 -- roughly the same price as running a couple of full-page trade ads. "I don't want to downplay the importance of awards season advertising," he says, "but the most important thing is getting people to see your movie."

Once "Crash" was nominated, Lionsgate's plan was to secure the SAG award and show voters the movie could win. "We needed a breakthrough to stop the momentum of 'Brokeback,' " Ortenberg explains, "not unlike what we were doing with Halle Berry on 'Monster's Ball.' "

In that race four years earlier, Berry was a distant best-actress underdog to Sissy Spacek. Then, Berry took the SAG trophy.

"In all elections, people don't like to think that they're throwing away their vote, so we needed to show that Halle could win," Ortenberg says. "As soon as Halle won the SAG award, we felt that tidal wave. Everybody we talked to after that said they voted for Halle."

Such a massive-scale screener campaign wouldn't necessarily work for every film, Ortenberg admits. "Crash" had opened in May and was already out on DVD by September, which meant Lionsgate could mass-produce the DVD without additional piracy concerns.

It's not the first time a studio has leveraged fortunate DVD release timing to mitigate an unfortunate theatrical release date during awards season. (In the decade prior to "Crash," only two best picture winners opened before Dec. 1: "American Beauty" and "Gladiator.")

Notable is Universal's deft synchronization of the "Seabiscuit" DVD release with the film's awards campaign three years ago -- the film hit theaters in July 2003 but still managed to garner enough awards juice come Oscar time to tally seven noms, including best pic.

This year, U plans to use DVD to bolster its 9/11 drama "United 93." And Fox hopes to use its Dec. 12 DVD release of "The Devil Wears Prada" to heat up Meryl Streep's best actress campaign.

But while things probably haven't come full circle in the three years since the screener ban, Lionsgate's successful gambit may have convinced a few operatives that the reward justifies the piracy risk.

Searchlight preempted "Little Miss Sunshine's" December disc bow to start sending out screeners. "I was afraid of being scooped, and we wanted to be first," Utley says. "I'm an Academy member, and I try to do my due diligence and watch all (the screeners I receive), but as the stack gets high, it becomes very challenging."


http://www.variety.com/ac2006_article/VR1117952679.html?nav=news&categoryid=1985&cs=1